GORHAM, Maine – Four members of the University of Southern Maine Huskies men's ice hockey team have earned 2024-2025 College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District honors. Earning the academic distinction were junior Kadin Ilott (Kenora, Ontario/Beaver Brae Secondary School), senior Azam Jiwa (Calgary, Alberta), sophomore Ethan MacDuff (Lloydminster, Alberta), and senior Kyle Penton (Waltham, Mass.).
 
To be eligible for Academic All-District recognition student-athletes must be at least a sophomore academically and athletically with a cumulative grade point average of 3.50 or higher. Skaters must have competed in 90 percent or started in 66 percent of their institution's games, while goalies must have started in at least 50 percent of their institution's games. The 2024-25 Academic All-District At-Large Team (including the USM-sponsored sports of field hockey, ice hockey, lacrosse, golf, wrestling) is selected by College Sports Communicators and recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances in competition and in the classroom. The CSC Academic All-America program separately recognizes honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA.
 
Ilott, now a two-time Academic All-District honoree, played in 23 of the team's 25 games as a defenseman. He logged six points last season with two goals and four assists and placed third on the team in blocked shots with 20. Ilott had multiple points in two games, including a goal and an assist in a 3-2 overtime win against Salve Regina University. A consistent presence, the junior blueliner has seven goals and 21 assists in 75 career games for the Huskies. A Computer Science major, Ilott has been named to the New England Hockey Conference All-Academic Team twice, was named American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) Krampade All-American Scholar for the 2023-24 season and is a two-time William B. Wise Scholar-Athlete.
 
Jiwa played in 23 games for the Huskies in 2024-25 and recorded four assists and 11 blocked shots. The senior forward finished his career with 21 points on seven goals and 14 assists in 80 career games. A Business Analytics major, Jiwa has three NEHC All-Academic nods in addition to two Little East Conference All-Academic Team selections as part of the Huskies' men's tennis team. He is also a three-time William B. Wise Scholar-Athlete. A two-time Academic All-District honoree for tennis, this is first time earning the award for hockey.
 
MacDuff, a forward, scored four goals and had two assists last season for the Huskies while playing in 24 of 25 games. MacDuff also blocked 11 shots and committed just one penalty all season. He has played in 46 career games and has 18 points on nine goals and nine assists. An Electrical Engineering major, MacDuff was recently named to the NEHC All-Academic Team and is a William B. Wise Scholar Athlete.
 
Penton started 15 games in goal for the Huskies and posted career-highs with six wins, a .918 save percentage and 539 saves. The senior netminder recorded 40 or more saves in five games including 58 in a tight 3-2 loss to UMass Boston. A two-time Krampade All-American Scholar, three-time NEHC All-Academic honoree and three-time William B. Wise Scholar Athlete, Penton graduated with a degree in Criminology.